REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Kartos Therapeutics, Inc. (“Kartos” or the “Company”), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of novel, targeted therapeutics that meaningfully improve the lives of patients with cancer, today announced that Dr. Srdan (Serge) Verstovsek, MD, PhD, has been named Chief Medical Officer (CMO).

Dr. Verstovsek is a world-renowned physician-scientist and a leading global authority on the treatment of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), including myelofibrosis (MF). Since 1998, Dr. Verstovsek has been affiliated with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center where he served as hematologist-oncologist and more recently as the United Energy Resources, Inc. Professor of Medicine. He was also Director of the world’s largest MPN clinical research center, the Hanns A. Pielenz Clinical Research Center for MPNs, and Chief of the Section for MPNs.

Dr. Verstovsek has collaborated extensively with Kartos in recent years and has been actively involved in all the company’s MPN clinical studies. In his new role, he will assume scientific leadership for the continued development of Kartos’ potential best-in-class MDM2 inhibitor, navtemadlin, currently in clinical development for the treatment of blood cancers and solid tumors, as well as other therapeutics the company is developing.

Dr. Verstovsek has achieved international acclaim for pioneering practice-changing therapeutic advances for the treatment of MPNs. He has led more than 80 early/advanced phase clinical trials of novel MPN drugs, including ruxolitinib, which until 2019 was the only FDA-approved medication for myelofibrosis. He has published 24 book chapters, more than 600 peer-reviewed original articles/reviews in leading medical journals and has received numerous clinical research awards.

“We are humbled that Dr. Serge Verstovsek has decided to continue his extraordinary career as part of the Kartos team,” said Jesse McGreivy, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Kartos Therapeutics. “Serge’s deep understanding of MPNs and his accomplishments as a clinician and drug developer are unparalleled. Having Serge onboard will be tremendously impactful in our quest to bring navtemadlin and other innovative medicines to patients across the globe.”

“I am thrilled to join a Company so dedicated to developing novel, targeted therapeutics that meaningfully improve the lives of patients with cancer,” said Dr. Verstovsek. “Having worked closely with Kartos’ outstanding executive team and been deeply involved in designing several of the company’s studies, I know firsthand about the incredible talent and science driving the development of navtemadlin. I am very enthusiastic about the clinical potential of this groundbreaking drug and look forward to devoting the next stage of my career to help ensure its complete success.”

Dr. Verstovsek is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and is co-founder and an Executive Committee Member of the International Working Group for MF Treatment and Research. Dr. Verstovsek received his MD and PhD from the University of Zagreb, Croatia.

About Kartos Therapeutics

Kartos Therapeutics is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with a potential best-in-class MDM2 inhibitor, navtemadlin, in clinical development across a variety of TP53 wild-type hematological malignancies and solid tumors. To learn more, visit www.kartosthera.com and connect with us on LinkedIn.

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